Connections
by cym70
Summary: It's hard not to be nervous when you're meeting your best friend and crush for the first time. Human AU. (Day 5 of Pearlshipping Bomb)


_Do you want to meet up sometime?_

Blue stared at the message that had just popped up on her phone.

 _I'm in town for work next week._

This was quickly followed by _But it's fine if you're busy._

Blue hurried to reply, thumbs darting over the screen as fast as they could. _Ywa!_

She looked down at the gibberish she had just sent and wished she'd turned her autocorrect back on.

 _I mean yes, please, that would be great!_ she added quickly. _When will you be here?_

 _I arrive on Thursday, busy through Saturday. Meet on Sunday?_

 _Sounds good!_

 _Where?_

Blue paused, thinking. Should she invite Yellow over to her house? Or maybe they could meet somewhere else first, and then come back to the house?

More to the point, she needed to stop thinking of this like a date; she might have a massive crush on Yellow, but they were _friends._ It wasn't weird to invite friends over.

 _There's a nice café just down the street from me. We could meet there for lunch and then walk over to my place?_

The response was so fast she didn't even have time to start worrying. _Okay, send me the address._

Blue smiled and hugged the phone to her chest before searching for the exact address and sending it to Yellow.

 _See you soon._

* * *

Deep breaths. Take deep breaths.

Blue repeated this to herself as she scrambled to try and get herself ready. Her heart was pounding, and there was only twenty minutes left before she was supposed to meet Yellow. It only took five to walk to the café; that was plenty of time to fix her hair and put away all the clothes she'd abandoned on her bed. Probably.

This would be the first time they met in person, and she'd barely been able to sleep from the strange mixture of excitement and nervousness. She'd been talking to Yellow for quite some time—they'd stumbled across each other by chance online and struck up a quick friendship. She got the impression that Yellow would probably be the sort of person who would be daunting to approach in real life, brutally honest and opinionated if the short, abrupt way she spoke on her blog was anything to go by. But she was also incredibly sweet and got embarrassed easily, as Blue discovered when she immediately fit learning sign language into her busy schedule upon learning Blue was deaf—which happened several months into their friendship, because Blue had completely forgotten to mention it until she was sending her a selfie to show off her new haircut. Upon looking at the picture, it occurred to her that Yellow hadn't had any way of knowing this information, unlike everyone she interacted with in person. She'd sent the picture, along with _Got some new hearing aids too, like the color?_ and she'd gotten _Very fitting_ in response and that was that.

Two weeks later, Yellow had let slip that she was trying to learn ASL and then vehemently refused to show Blue any of it until she had a better grasp of the language. _It's not your job to teach me_ , she had said.

 _But you'll learn best through practice_ , Blue replied.

 _At least let me get above a kindergarten level first._

Blue pestered her about it a couple more times after that, but not too much because she was pleased Yellow was learning at all and didn't want to push.

She finished cleaning things up and checked her phone, finding she had less than a minute to gather her things. She stowed her wallet, keys, and phone in a small purse and slung it over her shoulder. Okay.

Blue took one last look at herself in the full-length mirror, pleased with the way the pastel-colored dress fluttered just above her knees. " _You can do this_ ," she signed to her reflection, smiling briefly before rushing out the door.

* * *

Upon entering the café, Blue looked around, worrying her lip as she scanned the customers. She didn't actually know what Yellow looked like; she never posted any pictures of herself and Blue hadn't thought to ask before they met. She was starting to get nervous when her phone vibrated in her pocket, announcing a new text.

 _To your left. Back corner._

She sighed in relief, one worry leaving her shoulders as she hurried over to the booth in question, where a pale, slender blonde with upswept hair was sipping at a coffee.

"Hey," Yellow said with a wave, raising an eyebrow when Blue just stood there looking at her.

" _Hi!_ " Blue waved back, nervous excitement coursing through her. It was hard to take her eyes off Yellow, who was dressed in a sharp-looking suit that was incredibly flattering and a tiny bit intimidating. Her hair spiked upwards in a way that really _shouldn't_ have looked professional but somehow did, and then curled down by her cheekbones. Everything about her seemed perfectly refined, and Blue admired the minimalist makeup that made her eyes stand out. And she thought she had been interested _before…_

" _Do you want to sit down?_ " Yellow signed awkwardly, gesturing to the seat opposite her. Her lack of any long-term practice was evident in the choppy way her hands moved, but she got the question out properly anyway.

Blue's chest warmed at the effort and she nodded quickly, taking a seat.

The other woman glanced from her coffee to Blue and back again, a bit twitchy as she looked for something to say. " _How are you?_ " she asked finally. She looked oddly self-conscious about signing.

" _I'm good_ ," Blue replied, giving her a reassuring smile. " _Your signing looks great._ "

"That's what everyone says to people when they're failing miserably at a second language," Yellow said under her breath.

She laughed a little, covering her mouth.

Yellow's cheeks went pink. "And you can read lips."

" _Some. I meant it though, you're doing well._ "

" _Thanks._ "

" _Do you want to order now?_ " Blue suggested, pulling a menu from the edge of the table. " _They've got all the usual stuff. And the_ best _freshly made cream puffs, you have to try one. Oh, and I'd recommend their—_ " She stopped abruptly, seeing the confusion on Yellow's face as she tried to keep up. " _Sorry. I'm excited._ "

Yellow shook her head. " _It's fine, just…go a little slower?_ "

She nodded, then pointed out a few items on the menu. " _These are all really good._ "

" _Those are all desserts_ ," she replied with a smirk.

" _Well, that's why I come here_ ," Blue said. " _And we're adults. We're allowed to eat desserts for lunch if we want to._ "

" _Excellent logic._ "

They did, in fact, end up ordering a plethora of desserts, which they shared while offering commentary on which they each thought were the best.

" _This one goes better with coffee_ ," Blue decided.

" _What coffee?_ " Yellow scoffed. " _Yours is—"_ She wrinkled her nose. " _Can I talk?_ "

" _Yeah._ "

"Thanks," she replied. "Yours is liquid sugar; I don't think there's any coffee left."

" _Don't judge._ "

" _Don't what?_ "

Blue stuck out her tongue, spelling the word out for her. " _It's good, I swear. And you have to try it now._ "

" _I do not._ "

" _Do too._ "

A moment later, Yellow's face was twisted up in disgust. "This is cavity-inducing."

" _What?_ "

"Cavities. In a cup."

She giggled, pulling it back towards her. " _Well, I think it's delicious._ "

" _I think you're crazy._ " She watched as Blue took a long sip from the paper cup. " _Sorry I don't know that many words yet._ "

" _It's okay._ " Blue reached across the table and took Yellow's hands, squeezing them gently before releasing them. " _It means a lot to me that you're trying. Thank you._ "

" _You're welcome_ ," Yellow signed back with a quick smile.

After making their way through the majority of the desserts, Blue went and asked for a bag so she could take the rest home. " _Ready to go?_ " she asked once Yellow had carefully wrapped up the last pastry and placed it inside.

" _Sure_ ," she answered, suddenly looking a bit nervous.

" _Only if you want to_ ," Blue said quickly. " _If you're tired, you're welcome to go back to your hotel. I won't be upset._ "

" _No, I do._ "

She relaxed a little, realizing Yellow was just as worried about everything going well as she was. She took one last sip of her coffee and stood up, waiting for Yellow to join her before going over to the trash can and then the door, holding it open for her friend.

" _This way_ ," Blue signed, pointing to their left. " _It's a short walk._ " She noticed the tall heels Yellow was wearing and tilted her head curiously, taking in the outfit that still seemed more fitting for a business meeting than a casual outing. " _You don't have somewhere to be, do you?_ "

Yellow looked puzzled. " _Sorry, again?_ "

" _Do you have somewhere to be? An appointment?_ " She spelled it out so Yellow would understand.

" _Me?_ "

She nodded.

" _No, I told you, I'm free today._ "

Blue gestured up and down at her clothes.

Yellow looked down at herself, then mumbled something Blue couldn't follow.

She tapped Yellow's shoulder lightly to get her to look at her again. " _Say that again, please?_ "

"It's all I packed, and pretty much all I own anyway, other than old sweatpants that never leave the house."

She laughed. " _So you decided to dress up for me?_ " she teased.

"Speak for yourself," she returned, glancing down at Blue's dress.

Blue blushed deeply, smoothing down her skirt. " _Sorry._ "

"You're _apologizing_ for looking cute?"

The other woman stopped where she was, staring at Yellow, who took a second to realize what she'd just said and then looked like she regretted getting out of bed that morning. " _Did…you just call me cute?_ " Blue asked.

" _I don't know that sign_ ," Yellow replied, hurrying along.

" _Yes, you do_ ," she argued, jogging to keep up. " _You said I was cute._ "

" _I really don't_ ," she repeated, her face burning.

" _I think you're cute too._ "

Yellow stopped abruptly and turned to her. " _What?_ "

" _I think you're cute too_ ," Blue signed again, refusing to allow her hands to shake.

"Did you just call _me_ cute?"

" _I think this conversation is going in circles._ "

"I have no idea what you just said," Yellow replied blankly.

Blue nodded slowly. " _Yes, I did._ "

"Okay."

They looked at each other for a long moment, neither moving to speak.

It was only years of habit that kept Blue from breaking eye contact, though she wished she could hide the blush she knew had turned her face a glaring red.

" _Would you…_ "

She blinked, waiting.

" _Would you go on a date with me?_ "

Blue stared at her, hands coming up halfway to reply but hesitating.

"Never mind," Yellow said quickly when she didn't answer.

" _You learned how to say 'date' in sign language._ "

Her face flared a furious red.

Blue giggled. " _Yes_ ," she signed.

" _Yes?_ "

She nodded. " _Yes please._ "

"Oh." A hesitant smile crooked her lips. " _Thanks._ "

" _Although I think we might have just had our first date without realizing it._ "

" _Yeah_ ," Yellow agreed, blushing as she slid her hand into Blue's comfortably. "I, uh, had been thinking about asking for a while, but it seemed better to do it in person," she admitted as they walked.

" _I'm glad you did_ ," she signed with one hand. " _Is a movie at home okay for our second date then?_ "

" _That's fine by me_ ," Yellow replied, squeezing her hand before letting go to talk. " _Would it be weird to extend my trip for a couple of days so I can see you again tomorrow?_ "

" _I don't think so._ " Blue smiled. " _You're sure you want to be subjected to more sweets?_ "

"Who knows, you might convert me yet." She poked Blue lightly in the shoulder. " _We're having a real dinner though._ "

" _Okay, okay,_ " she laughed. " _Come on, I can't wait to show you everything._ "

Yellow smiled as she was tugged towards the house. " _You know_ ," she said as Blue dug out her keys, " _it's nice to see you, Blue._ "

She looked up at Yellow, eyes bright with happiness, and drew her into a quick hug. " _You too._ "


End file.
